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Phil Cohen

Discovery Through Sound: The Art of Phil Cohen

By Kristine Berey on 1 April 2017 Interviews, Piano, Quebec Music

When retired Concordia music professor Phil Cohen was hospitalized in early February, his piano students didn’t want to miss their lesson, so they joined him at the Richardson Hospital where he was recovering. For a brief moment the common room was transformed into a concert hall with a master class in progress. As patients watched TV while others listened, the old beat-up piano-in-residence, freshly tuned for the occasion, filled the space with the music of Granados, Albeniz, and Prokofiev. This is a significant year for Cohen, who turned 90 in February. It is his 50th year since joining Concordia, where…

Canada 150/Montreal 375: Highlights

By Hassan Laghcha on 1 April 2017 150/375, Canadian Music, Orchestral, Quebec Music, Scena Arts

La Scena Musicale will present key moments from celebrations that take place as part of Canada’s 150th and Montreal’s 375th anniversaries. It will illustrate the rich diversity of artistic and cultural expression, as well as the creative energy that goes into all the hard work in different fields across the country through various Montreal, Quebecois, and Canadian art scenes. Alain Trudel: Birth made especially for Canada’s 150th The Ottawa Symphony Orchestra presents conductor Alain Trudel’s latest work, Birth: Sesquie for Canada’s 150th (April 3, Southam Hall at the NAC). This piece, which commemorates Canadians of all cultures and origins, was…

Salle André-Mathieu

Stronger Acoustics for Salle André-Mathieu

By Ian Cochrane on 1 April 2017 Interviews, Orchestral, Quebec Music

“The great problem of the concert hall is that the shoebox is the ideal shape for acoustics, but no architect worth their name wants to build a shoebox.” Fortunately for classical concertgoers, this remark from Harvard professor of architecture Rem Koolhaas was made tongue-in-cheek. This is particularly fortunate for the Orchestre symphonique de Laval (OSL), whose principal performance venue was successfully renovated in 2016. Originally opened in 1979, Salle André-Mathieu, located within walking distance of Laval’s Montmorency metro station, now boasts excellent acoustics for symphonic music. In recent years, the hall’s managers, patrons and performing organizations lobbied for an array…

Robert Charlebois

CMIM 2017

By Olivier Gentil on 1 April 2017 La Scena Spotlight, Piano, Quebec Music

“The cynical and tender spirit, a modern and unique thought, a characteristically Quebecois music, the star of this popular concert of the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, Robert Charlebois.” These are the words of Roger Bouchard, television host, in 1971. It happened 46 years ago at Montreal’s Place des Arts. At just 27 years old, the young Robert Charlebois, dressed in an original and colourful shirt – typical of the 1970s – was going to live the experience of the symphony orchestra. Today, he admits that he has never refused the opportunity to play with an orchestra. Probably one of the…

Oliver Esmonde-White

Piano Esmonde White: A New Cycle for the Piano

By Kristine Berey on 1 April 2017 Interviews, Piano, Quebec Music

Oliver Esmonde-White’s great passion is the piano. But his love for the instrument is different from that of the pianist, whose heroes may be Bach, Beethoven or other great composers. Esmonde-White, a master piano technician, draws inspiration from the great piano builders of the past. “Pianos were glorious once upon a time,” he said, citing names like Bechstein, Mason & Hamelin and Bösendorfer. Each piano had a distinct sound, but was considered on par with Steinway. Closer to home, “We have forgotten that Heintzman, Willis, Lesage and Lindsay were made not far from here. We have done virtually no research…

Another Brick in the Wall, Photo: Yves Renaud

‘Another Brick in the Wall’ a Thoroughly Montréalais Work

By Claire McLeish on 23 March 2017 Concert Reviews, Contemporary, Opera, Quebec Music

Review: Another Brick in the Wall, l’Opéra de Montréal Viewed: March 13, 2017 At first glance, an adaptation of Pink Floyd’s 1979 concept album The Wall seems an odd choice for part of Montreal’s 375th Anniversary. However, a brief reflection on the genesis of the album brings this choice into better focus. According to rock legend, the story for The Wall came to Pink Floyd bassist and songwriter Roger Waters after a performance in Montreal: after allegedly spitting on a fan at show at the Olympic Stadium in July 1977, Waters turned inward and began to reflect on the excesses…

Canadian Soprano Kirsten MacKinnon One of Six Winners of 2017 Met Opera Auditions

By Newswire on 19 March 2017 Arts Industry, Canadian Music, Classical, Newswire, Opera, Quebec Music, Vocal

New York, NY (March 19, 2017) – After a months-long series of competitions at the district, regional, and national levels, a panel of expert judges named six young singers as the winners of the nation’s most prestigious vocal competition, the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. Each winner receives a $15,000 cash prize and the prestige and exposure that come with winning the competition that launched the careers of many of opera’s biggest stars. This year’s winners are Samantha Hankey, 24, mezzo-soprano (Eastern Region: Marshfield, MA); Kirsten MacKinnon, 26, soprano (Middle Atlantic Region: Vancouver, BC, Canada); Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen, 23, countertenor…

Monday Headlines: Review of the Boston Symphony Orchestra at the Maison Symphonique

By Olivier Gentil on 6 March 2017 Arts Industry, Baroque and Early, Canadian Music, Classical, Classical Music, Contemporary, Daily News Roundup, Opera, Quebec Music, Strings, Video of the day, Violin, Visual Arts

On Saturday, the reputable Boston Symphony Orchestra played at the Maison Symphonique. The last time the orchestra visited Montreal was in 1984, more than 30 years ago. Boston Symphony Orchestra: Interview with the conductor, the young 38-year-old Andris Nelsons. [La Presse] Boston Symphony Orchestra: Concert review by [La Presse] Some tough criticism of the Boston Symphony Orchestra at the Maison Symphonique. [Le Devoir] CANADA : The OSM has unveiled a new video on Twitter: https://twitter.com/OSMconcerts/status/838396186407145472 Review of the all-Schubert concert by pianist András Schiff on Friday at the Maison Symphonique. [Le Devoir] The exposition Carnets naturalistes by Denise Blackburn runs until April…

Thursday Headlines: Classical music concerts more popular than football in Germany

By Olivier Gentil on 6 March 2017 Arts Industry, Canadian Music, Chamber Music, Classical, Contemporary, Daily News Roundup, Orchestral, Quebec Music, Strings, Violin

Here are your daily headlines in classical music and the arts ! Hard to believe, but it’s true: “Classical music concerts in Germany are officially more popular than football matches,” even though they have one of the best football teams in the world. [The Strad] [ClassicFM] CANADA OSM POP: Review of Arianne Moffatt’s concert with the OSM at the Maison Symphonique. [La Presse] [Le Devoir] Twittosphère : Yesterday at the McCord museum, guest speaker Monique Savoir said that Montreal should be more adventurous in its architectural projects. The former artistic director of the Orchestre symphonique du Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean and former director of the Conservatoire…

Christina Petrowska Quilico: Worlds Apart (Centrediscs)

By Kiersten van Vliet on 3 March 2017 Canadian Music, CD and Book Reviews, Contemporary, Piano, Quebec Music

Worlds Apart Christina Petrowska Quilico Centrediscs, 2017. CMCCD 23717, 2 CD. 88 min 13 s. Christina Petrowska Quilico dropped a new album today – a cross-section of Canadian piano repertoire – that features a wide variety of post-modern compositional techniques. In this two-CD set, the first disc is entitled Classics with a Twist – a way to dip your big toe in the pool before jumping in headfirst in the second. With overt references to the titans of Romantic piano repertoire – Schumann, Brahms, and Chopin – Rea, Koprowski, and Gellman dish up the familiar in surprising ways. The second…

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